Illustrated Dictionary of Authentic Medicinal Materials · Central and South China Volume

Author: Wang Qiang / Xu Guojun (Editor-in-Chief)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-05-01
Features: Authentic medicinal materials possess strong regional and hereditary characteristics. During historical evolution, most of them have maintained relative stability in their core production areas, such as the "Four Great Huai Medicinal Materials," "Eight Medicinal Materials of Zhejiang," Sichuan Medicine, and Southern Medicine. However, it should also be noted that with changes in the times or due to environmental and cultural factors, the production areas of authentic medicinal materials may also shift. Taking Belamcanda chinensis as an example, the Shen Nong's Herbal states: "Grown in the fields of Nanyang." The Compendium of Materia Medica mentions: "Authentic in Chuzhou." The Compendium of Materia Medica further notes: "Mostly grown in the flatlands of Jiangnan, Huguang, Sichuan, and Zhejiang." The Discrimination of Medicinal Materials records: "This herb is originally produced in Jiangsu and Zhejiang as the authentic variety." However, the main production areas of Belamcanda chinensis now include Hubei, Henan, Hunan, Hebei, and Jilin, with those from Hubei being of the highest quality, commonly referred to as "Han Belamcanda." The Illustrated Catalog of Authentic Medicinal Materials is divided into four volumes: East China, Central and South China, West China, and Three Norths, covering a total of 408 authentic medicinal materials, including those commonly used by ethnic minorities such as Tibetan, Mongolian, Uyghur, Zhuang, and Dai. The in-depth study of authentic medicinal materials is a complex systematic project involving multiple disciplines and fields, such as biology (botany, zoology), geology, agriculture, forestry, geography, meteorology, chemistry, pharmacy, traditional Chinese medicine, management, and business. It is hoped that the publication of this catalog will contribute to the promotion and advancement of authentic medicinal materials.